Arapahoe Basin Open

Arapahoe Basin, CO—Friday the 13th is a lucky day for Colorado skiers and riders as Arapahoe Basin plans to open tomorrow, Friday, October 13, at 9:00 a.m. Arapahoe Basin will be the first resort in North America to open for the 2006-07 ski and snowboard season. Arapahoe Basin will beat out reigning opening day champion Loveland Ski Area who has held the title for the past six years. This year marks Arapahoe Basin’s 60th anniversary and will be the resort’s earliest opening in its history.

“We have wanted this title for a very long time and we’re excited to see it finally come to fruition tomorrow, stated Alan Henceroth, Arapahoe Basin general manager and COO. “Our entire team has put in tremendous effort to make this happen and they can all be proud.

Last year, Arapahoe Basin trailed Loveland by just one week. The previous year, the race was even tighter with Loveland winning by just one day.

“This has been a race up until the very last hour, explained Rob Perlman, President & CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA. “The fact that Arapahoe Basin is the first resort in North America to open is a true testament to how far a little competitive spirit and a whole lot of determination will get you.

Although Colorado has already received two to three feet of natural snowfall this year, this race has been a battle of the snowmakers from the beginning. Thanks to an arctic cold front, both resorts have been making snow at full capacity most of the week in hopes of an early opening. It’s Arapahoe Basin’s snowmaking team who will pull out the win tomorrow morning thanks to their ’round-the-clock snowmaking efforts, competitive spirit, sheer determination, and a little help from Mother Nature.

Arapahoe Basin will offer 1,200 vertical feet of skiing and riding, including three terrain features in High Divide Terrain Park. Early season conditions will exist with surfaces of machine-groomed, natural and machine-made snow with base depths up to 18 inches. Lifts will operate from 9:00a.m. – 4:00p.m. Lift tickets will be specially priced at just $43 for an adult, $38 for teens and $19 for children ages six-14.

If early season snowfall is any indicator of the coming winter season, Colorado is headed for a banner year. The snowstorm earlier this week dropped as much as a foot of powder on the San Juan Mountains. Employees at both Silverton and Wolf Creek were greeted by up to ten inches of snow earlier this week.